The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for terminating a fiber optic bundle and, more particularly, to an improved method and apparatus for injecting an adhesive in a fiber optic bundle which is being terminated by a contact.
In the terminating of a fiber optic bundle, it is necessary to apply an adhesive to the fibers in the bundle so that the bundle will be retained in the contact in which it is mounted. In addition, the adhesive fills the voids in the optical fiber bundle so as to provide a rigid support for the individual fibers which is necessary so that the end of the fiber bundle may be ground and polished without chipping the edges of the fibers.
It is the present practice to wet the end of a fiber optic bundle with an adhesive and to insert the bundle into the rear of a contact. This method has two distinct disadvantages. Since the fibers are pre-wetted with an adhesive, they tend to cling to the sides of the contact, thereby making insertion of the fiber bundle into the contact difficult. Occasionally, some of the outside fibers of the bundle will break when the bundle is inserted into the contact. In addition, adhesive on the fiber bundle is forced back into the bundle jacket when the bundle is inserted into the contact. When the adhesive drys and hardens in the jacket of the fiber optic bundle, the cable looses its flexibility in that area. The loss of flexibility of the fiber bundle cable can result in considerable difficulties in mounting the cable in certain fiber optic connectors.
It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a new method and apparatus for terminating fiber optic bundles which will overcome the attendent disadvantages of the present techniques being utilized, as discussed above.